What is a Employment & Job Scams?
How It Works — Step by Step
- Fake job posting appears on LinkedIn, Indeed, or via direct message/email
- The position offers high pay for easy work: 'Data entry from home, $50/hour,' 'Package handler, flexible hours'
- Interview process is minimal or conducted entirely via text/chat
- Victim is 'hired' and asked to pay for background checks, equipment, training, or certification
- Alternatively: victim receives a check, deposits it, buys gift cards or crypto and sends — check later bounces leaving victim liable
- Task-based scams: victim is given 'tasks' (liking posts, completing reviews) and shown fake earnings — then asked to make deposits to unlock payments
Top Countries (Victims)
Top Platforms Used
⚠️ Warning Signs
- Unsolicited job offer via WhatsApp, Telegram, or text message
- Job requires little to no experience but offers very high pay
- Interview conducted entirely via chat or only one very brief call
- Asked to pay upfront fees for anything
- Asked to receive and forward money (money mule recruitment)
- Company has no verifiable online presence
- Offer letter with grammar errors or unusual formatting
✅ How to Protect Yourself
- Research the company independently — look up their actual website and call their listed number
- Legitimate employers never ask you to pay for a job
- Never deposit a check and send money — this is always a scam
- Verify the job listing on the company's official website
- Be suspicious of any job found through unsolicited messages
- If asked to complete 'tasks' for payment that require depositing money, it's a scam
Real Cases from Our Database
Job scam? Company seems to be legit but I don’t think these guys are. I was contacted via text and asked to move to Teams for further communication. I thought it was strange that at one point the pers...
[US]. Not sure if this is a job scam. Not sure if this was a scam or not. I'm trying to find work and was contacted by a company fora job that sounds like it pays way too well. Who. The company is ...
Fake Job invitation alert I got an interview invite last week from admin @ thecompanysname. com. They asked me to choose a time and said they’d send the Zoom link shortly before the interview. That al...
Possible Job Scam? Instagram ad from Monoqi **Instagram ad from Monoqi led me to a recruiter who refuses to explain the job unless I provide WhatsApp and Telegram** I came across an Instagram ad from ...
These job scams are getting so unhinged 😂 at home garlic peeler😂
Potential job scam with Acosta? Hi I applied to this job for a grocery store merchandiser (whatever that is apparently they stock shelves) A week later I was given a very quick 5 minute interview with...
[UK] Job offer scam from an actual offer I got A few days ago I received an internship offer from a company and I’ll be starting the internship in a few days time. However, I just received an email fr...
Attempting to invoke TCPA I've been trying to pin down the real location of some text scammers and call scammers for some time. I know the TCPA makes me eligible to request compensation, but I'm strug...
Possible remote job scam? Ive recently been desperate for a job and have therefore been applying to a multitude of jobs recently. I got this email that invited me to an “interview” for a position at “...
Job offer scam from someone at "Henkel";starting from LinkedIn, moved to email correspondence; ending with ghosting them I fell for a job offer from someone that was supposedly representing a company ...
Job Scam Alert in Ireland and UK I recently came across two job scams through ads on Instagram, so I wanted to warn people about them. One of them calls themselves “Clover Circle”. They claim the job ...
[US] Telegram Hiring Scammer [https://xaaccx.com] There a scammer on telegram right now thats offering "stay at home work" and they are trying to get people into a website. DONT CLICK IT. Obviously......
📋 Where to Report Employment & Job Scams
- FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov)
- FBI IC3 (ic3.gov)
- Job platform where ad was posted
- Local law enforcement